An article by Jim Lucas speaks of Sir. Isaac Newton as one of the most influential scientists of all time. His ideas became the basis for modern physics. He is best known for his work in studying gravity and the motion of planets. Newton’s first law of Motion, suggests, "A body at rest will remain at rest, and a body in motion will remain in motion unless it is acted upon by an external force." This simply means that things cannot start, stop, or change direction all by themselves. It takes some force acting on them from the outside to cause such a change.
Now think of something or someone lost, adrift, without a purpose or destination, merely existing rather than living. Unless something (God) acts upon them or intercedes in their situation, they can neither move or change course. We either remain motionless (helpless) or spiral out of control in the wrong direction (aimless). We routinely hear of castaways, people lost on a desert isle, without any hope of rescue. As a last ditch effort, they are consigned to placing a warily written message into a bottle and casting it adrift upon the sea, hoping the currents, the waves, and the torrent of wind allows it to arrive in an expedient place. Some, inevitably find the ocean depths, while others, many years (even decades) later find their way into inquisitive hands, but often far too late.
2 Samuel 22:5-7
5The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
6The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. 7“In my distress I called to the Lord; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.
Many of us, at one point or another, find ourselves there, 100% physically present, but our souls tossed in darkness, and disquieted and lonely place, cast upon the waters thousands of miles from nowhere.
Today’s podcast is titled.
Adrift & Aimless
Psalm 61:1
Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.
Have you ever felt lost, adrift without a direction or purpose? Absent of an intended destination, one in which we can see the struggles of the past and graciously acknowledge our present place. We purpose to plot along an evident path, but circumstances lead us to make decisions, which change our course, and our given destiny. Some, I suppose, are fortunate enough to have a safety net, while a multitude of others unceremoniously fall, until they have been dashed into irreparable pieces.
Jeremiah 31:25
25 I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”
We, likewise, can find ourselves adrift in so many ways, for so many reasons. What is it that leads and guides us, that gives our lives meaning and purpose, which affixes itself to our chosen destiny? Not one of our own creation, borne out of vanity, but that which is appointed by God.
